On our exploration of Northern Greece, we had the pleasure of visiting several mound-type vault tombs created by, and for, Macedonian people of importance. Some of the tombs were built for unknown people. The photos of the one below was for a military general. There is always a facade, and and inside room divided into two portions - a front area and a back. Some of these have been looted, but the ones at the ancient site of Aigai (Vergia), the first capital of Macedonia, had not been. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph those royal tombs, but had the pleasure of touring the museum. You will want to check out the website to see some of the most fantastic finds I have seen while I have been in Greece, including a solid gold box containing the bones of a woman (link below), along with, what is believed to be, the armor and shield of Alexander the Great. The tombs at Aigai are thought to be the final resting place of Alexander the Great's father Phillip II, and his wife (in one tomb), Phillip's other son and his young wife with their infant son (in the second tomb), and the child son of Alexander the Great (in the last), who was the crown prince at the time.
Due to politics of the time of Alexander the Great's death, there was intrigue as to who would take the throne. It was apparently the best for the family to be killed to make way for a new dynasty, thus the killing of the entire family.
Like I said, we had opportunity to see these vault tombs built into mounds that appeared as grass-covered hillsides; they were opened for our class to see, but are not open to the public generally. Click
HERE for more information on the tombs in Aigai.
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paintings on the facade - photos displayed
as they were when they were first found |
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| this is the general who was entombed here (apparently) |
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| a straight-on shot of the facade |
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| this is how the paintings look today |
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| and a sneaky view of the painting found inside these tombs - amazing! |
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